Eagles club throws NASCAR party to benefit local hospice

Sept. 11, 2006
By JOSEPH M. DELEON News-Post Staff
jdeleon @ fredericknewspost . com

FREDERICK— During a slow night eight years ago, bartender Gale Miller joined a few customers sitting at the Fraternal Order of Eagles bar in Frederick to talk about an upcoming NASCAR race.
    By the end of the night, she became the lead organizer of a NASCAR party to raise money for Hospice of Frederick County.
    “We have a lot of members who have needed hospice,” she said. “And it doesn't just help the person with cancer, it helps the family, too.”
    More than 200 people attended the 8th Annual NASCAR Party on Saturday, raising $1,500 for the charity.
    The Eagles organization was founded in 1898 by playwrights and stagehands who united to support a musician's strike. As the members toured on road shows, the club spread across the United States and Canada .
     The Eagles, which is committed to charity, is credited with founding Mother's Day and lobbying for social security. While fundraising varies from chapter to chapter, the Frederick group likes using lotteries and jackpots to raise money.
     Ms. Miller said the grand prize, a 50/50 jackpot, attracts a big crowd. The winner of the jackpot keeps half of the money raised, and the remainder is given to the charity.
     While guests waited for the jackpot, they bought tickets for NASCAR-themed prizes, such as a hand-carved walking stick topped with a shift handle decorated with a 24 — Jeff Gordon's car number.
     Dawn Devall, known for the threewheeled Harley-Davidson motorcycle she drives, hoped to win the walking stick.
     “That's all this organization does is raise money,” she said. “Our theory is, if you raise money, you take care of people.”
     Many guests brought covered dishes, such as pasta salad, meatballs and dessert.
     “About a quarter after seven, I'll yell ‘Food!' and then run like hell,” Ms. Miller said.
     TV sets showed the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 as guests ate and drank beer. Stock cars rounded the track at Richmond International Raceway while Ms. Miller called out winning numbers.
     She's affectionately known as “The Warden,” because she keeps the noisy events running smoothly. Ms. Miller joked with guests as she sold tickets and collected money. When someone declined to buy a ticket, she pointed a key chain shaped like an obscene hand gesture, drawing laughter from the party.
     Her voice grew hoarse and began to crack as she called out to the roaring crowd.
     “I'm not going to stop until the job is done,” she said. “We all know how important this work is.”